


On Edge(I want to remember you)

by 22Kazoos



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids can get high, Background Case, Bottom Gavin Reed, Choking, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Edging, Elijah Kamski is Gavin’s half brother, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Freeform, Gavin obviously has a cat, Hair Pulling, Humor, I think Gavin will have tattoos, Investigations, Kinky shit I promise, Let Androids Curse!, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), RK900 also goes by many nicknames lol, RK900 goes by ‘Nines’, RK900’s POV, Recreational Drug Use, Red Ice (Detroit: Become Human), Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Swearing, Top RK900, Violence, gavin’s pov, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-06-20 10:03:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15531858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/22Kazoos/pseuds/22Kazoos
Summary: Almost 5 months after the end of the android revolution and Detective Gavin Reed has finally settled into working with and around his co-worker Hank's android lap dog, Connor. He figures that if he stays clear of the android and goes about his business, he'll be fine. But that's before the announcement that a newer, more advanced Connor-model would be coming to work at the precinct.Now, Gavin can handle one Connor but having to skirt around two Connors while also trying to keep up with his work made his toes curl. So much so, that when the new android showed up for a tour and looked almost exactly like Connor, he loses his shit.A shattered mug, a burned hand, many papers thrown off his desk, and a not-so-subtle rush for Chris Miller and Tina Chen to get the detective out of the building later leaves Gavin soaked in rain and trying valiantly but failing to execute the breathing exercises his old therapist had suggested for him.





	1. And So It Begins

Gavin frowns as he watches from the corner of his eye as Fowler and Not-Connor finish up their meeting. It's going to be the android's first day working for the DPD and he is less than fucking thrilled to have another plastic prick to deal with. He'd decided very fast that the first one was enough for him, enough for a lifetime even. Seeing as Connor had been a real piece of work since knocking the detective unconscious in the evidence room a few months back. Gavin really, really hopes he won't have the same god awful and embarrassing as hell experience with Not-Connor. Just the thought of working with both Connor and Not-Connor, who is probably going to be just as annoying as regular Connor, makes him want to do bad things. Like,for example, shove his hands into a blender...Fuck, alright, that’s kind of extreme. Maybe he'll just punch a wall or something instead. But at least he won't be working directly with Not-Connor, right? Somebody else will put up with the android's bullshit, right? His day couldn't get any worse, right? 

"Hey, Reed! Get your ass in here." It's Fowler and right then Gavin knows his day is going to get so much worse. 

Goddammit. Gavin's jaw tightens and his lips curl into a tight smile, when he responds it comes out just a little too loud earning him a few glares. "Be right there." 

It takes him a bit longer than an I'll-be-right-there amount of time to gather up the motivation to get his ass to Fowler's office, but he does make it. And dammit if he isn't proud of himself. The detective can feel Fowler's eyes on him, but it's completely overshadowed by the sheer intensity of the pale gaze of the android standing on the other side of the room. It's deafening. Holding the eye contact makes him feel way too fucking exposed. It's downright intimidating. He looks away a little too fast for his liking, or a lot too fast, but who's counting? 

"Well look who finally got around to joining us." Fowler grumbled in his token I'm-stressed-and-also-I-hate-you tone. 

"Oh, give me a damn break Fowler." Gavin scoffs. 

"Captain." 

He chuckles, "There's no need to call me Captain, sir." 

"Reed, I swear to God. You do not want me putting this on your record!" 

_Shit._

Suddenly the floor is very interesting. Gavin hears Fowler sigh and pause for a moment before quickly introducing him to Not-Connor and vice versa. He doesn't hear what's said about the android, since zoning out seems a little more enticing. He doesn't hear Fowler's begrudging apology about sticking Gavin in an uncomfortable position, he's too busy thinking about the leftover Chinese he has at home. He doesn't hear—

"WHAT?! Absolutely fucking not!" Gavin's yelling loud enough now for the entire precinct to hear him, "There's no way in hell, Fowler. I'm not taking that plastic motherfucker with me everywhere I go!" 

"Yes, the fuck you are!" 

"No, the fuck I'm not! I refuse to be partners with Connor's goddamn identical twin," he's aware that he sounds whiny as hell, but the detective is so far into the oh-hell-no mindset that he can't find it in him to care. 

"Deal with it or turn in your badge." 

_Double Shit._

Gavin casts a glare brimming with as much red-hot-fuck-you energy as possible to Fowler and again to Not-Connor before storming his ass out of the room. He makes sure to bodycheck the android as he goes for good measure. He's back at his desk and fuming in record time, ignoring the eyes of everyone around him and the dread that's pulling at his stomach. His hands are shaking. Fuck. He can already tell that this is going to push him to day drink. 

The detective's heart rate is almost back to normal when the precinct's noise level goes from 'this is a room with people in it' to 'suspiciously quiet.' He doesn't have to look up to know it's Not-Connor. 

"The fuck you want, Plastic." 

Gavin doesn't listen to the android respond, this time not because he zoned out, but because he doesn't care. It might be something about trying to start out on the right foot. 'Fuck the right foot' Gavin thinks to himself and rolls his eyes. There's coffee in the android's hand. Now that Gavin is actually face to face with Not-Connor instead of at a weird angle he can see a difference between this android and regular Connor. Everything about him is wider, more muscular than his older counterpart. And he's taller by what has to be three or four inches. Ah, shit. Now both Connor and this plastic prick are taller than he is. Not-Connor has a sharper jaw and nose and instead of soft, brown eyes the android has keen steely blue-grey ones. Gavin almost can't look away. There's the intimidation again. Lucky for him he notices what Not-Connor's wearing.  
Wait... 

Gavin can't help it, he bursts into laughter, "What the hell are you wearing, Tin can?!" 

"I don't understand, Detective." The android responds slowly. 

So, he speaks! ~~AndohmyfuckinggodhisvoiceisdeepIwasn'texpectingthat.~~

"Nice turtleneck, Plastic." Gavin gasps through fits of ~~giggles~~ laughter. No, he wasn’t giggling. Grown men don't giggle.

"I don't see what's so funny about my uniform." 

Fuckin' buzzkill. 

"Anyway, what do you want?" Gavin finally asks. 

"I already told you, Detective." Not-Connor emphasizes. 

"And you thought I was listening? You'll have to repeat yourself, Dipshit." 

"Well, I was going to do that anyway. I've heard some humans need to be told things multiple times to really understand them." 

Gavin's head snaps up, "Excuse, me?" 

"So, I was right. You do need me to repeat myself--" 

With scarlet vision, Gavin is up and out of his chair faster than he's moved in a long time. In the same second the coffee that'd previously been in Not-Connor's hand is spilled all over the ground at the pair's feet and the detective is in the android's face. 

Every muscle in Gavin's body is clenched as he hisses through his teeth, "Get the fuck away from me." 

Not-Connor's face doesn't change. The only reaction he gets before the android turns and walks away is his LED switching from blue to yellow.


	2. Growing wires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> spoiler alert: gavin is an angry boy

There’s no fucking way. 

No way in hell that Gavin got Not-Connor to leave him alone by asking once. It’s just not possible. He’d had to be even more douchey than normal, for a lot longer than normal, just to get Connor to fuck off. There isn’t a chance in hell that this’ll last. 

It’s not until two hours later when Gavin scans the office and sees nothing of Not-Connor that he starts to think he’s solved his problems before they’ve even started. He’s been sitting at his desk since earlier when he first told Not-Connor to get lost and he hadn’t even seen a glimpse of the android. 

Good fucking riddance honestly 

It’s a little weird. Didn’t the android have shit to do? 

*** 

It’s still bothering Gavin another hour later when he heads into the break room for something to eat. He grabs a sad looking muffin from the fridge before nodding a greeting to Chris and Chen, who are sitting at a table across the room. They’re pretty much the only people that don’t absolutely hate him and he appreciates them for it. Gavin would never say it to their faces... Or out loud. But it’s true. 

“Reed!” Chris gets a bit too over exaggerated with waving Gavin over that he knocks Chen in the face. 

“Watch it, dumbass!” Chen slaps his arm as she stands, “I need to get back to work. A concept you two obviously have never heard of.” 

“Oh, come on. You’ve been over here since I got chewed out by Fowler!” 

“I wanted a good view of the show. Even the androids were watching.” 

Gavin chuckles, “Speaking of androids... You see that plastic prick that’s supposed to be my ‘partner’ anywhere?” 

“Nah, man. Haven’t seen him since your little temper tantrum earlier.” 

“Hey, it was not a temper tantrum--” 

“I saw him.” 

It’s Chris that interrupts. Gavin’s head snaps to his co-worker faster than he cares to admit. How had Chris seen that tin can while he hadn’t? He’d been on high alert for the thing all day to make sure the android wasn’t watching him from an air vent or something. Probably the ‘or something’ part. 

Gavin waves his arms up, “I don’t need to give you an invitation to answer do I?” 

“Fuck, Gavin. I thought you hated when parents and teachers said shit like that. Maybe you’re getting old.” Chen teased. 

“Fuck off! And I am not old, I’m thirty-fuckin-six. Now Chris, where’d Not-Connor run off to?” 

“Um...” Chris started, “I don’t think you’re going to like it.” 

“Just spit it the fuck out Chris!” Gavin’s never known Chris to be anything other than friendly and honest so why the fuck hasn’t he said it yet? 

“He’s out on a case--” 

_“WHAT?”_

 

*** 

 

Thinking back on it now, the detective can understand why Chris hadn’t just outright said it. Gavin did have a reputation for completely flipping out over things that a normal person would just be a bit peeved about. But it really wasn’t his fault. If Chris had just told him hours ago that his ‘partner’ had taken off on a case, then he wouldn’t have ended up being pulled out of his chair by his collar and threatened with a knife. See, not his fault. 

It takes the detective a little while to figure out where exactly the android went. Going through Chris, almost the entire rest of the precinct, and finally to Connor and Hank Anderson. Gavin nearly has a stroke when it takes Connor all of two minutes and some weird-as-fuck interface thing to get the information he wants. Fuckin’ prick. Turns out the android had left an hour and a half after the little altercation between the detective and himself. Not-Connor had been sent a case and just... Left. Gavin had really been trying to wave off the urge to day drink but fuck. 

A rush to get out of the precinct before he can get yelled at for a second time today, a creepy taxi ride with a man that is altogether too handsy and a five-minute walk has Gavin finally arriving at the crime scene. It’s a small house with multicolored shutters and a garden. There’s what he assumes is blue blood drenching the porch, he doesn’t see a body. And there’s Robo-cop in all his stupid-turtleneck-and-long-legged glory. Long-legged? No, Gavin totally didn’t just think that. He was just stating a fact, nothing weird about stating facts. 

Nope. 

_Fuck, fuck, FUCK._

Shit, Gavin’s staring. Shit, Robo-cop saw him. Battling down panic over whatever the fuck that was he steels himself and makes his way over to where the android is standing. Just be civil the detective thinks. He doesn’t make eye contact as he steps up beside Not-Connor. 

“Took you long enough.” 

Gavin doesn’t have to look to see the smug look on the android’s face, it’s laced all through Not-Connor's voice. All hope of being civil flew out the door. 

“You can’t just take off and not tell me, that’s not how a partnership works, Dipshit.” 

“So, we’re a partnership now.” 

“Fuck, no!” Gavin’s head whips around to look at the android. 

Not-Connor holds his stare, “I was simply doing what was asked of me. You told me to leave you alone, so I left you alone. I was given a case, so I’m working the case. That’s not too hard for you to understand is it, Detective?” 

Gavin’s going to punch that plastic prick, “Next time, tell me when there’s a fucking case.” 

“Of course, Detective.” 

The android is way to composed and it’s driving Gavin crazy. “Now, what the fuck are we doing here. There’s nobody! It just looks like someone dropped a shit-load of blue blood.” 

“There is a body, look closer.” 

The detective groans but complies, he really doesn’t see anything amiss other than the porch. Very clean multicolored shutters, red and white, yellow and white, blue and white, somebody fucking loves the primary colors. Blue blood soaking through the wood floor on and around a big-ass coffee table... Who the fuck has a coffee table that big? Some of the windows sills had blood dripping from them and even the door had the thick blue substance smeared across it. This mother fucker is clumsy as hell too? Where is the body? The only thing left is the garden... It’s well kept like the shutters; the plants are in neat rows. A few plants look new, as if they were planted recently, it’s spring so that doesn’t surprise Gavin. There’s more blood on a couple plants. The detective crouches down to sift through the soil as a last-ditch effort to find something and his hand brushes across some roots. Some very suspiciously loose roots. He pulls one from the soil to look at it and freezes. 

Fuck… 

That’s a _wire._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mushed a few chapters that were originally separate into one big one lol  
> I'll be posting updates about this fic on my dbh tumblr if you're interested @/thiriumfilleddeviant  
> (im sorry the name is trash the one I wanted was taken lol)
> 
> Oh! Also! I think ch3 will be from Nines' pov so yee


	3. Meat Shield

RK900 almost lets the amusement show on his face when the detective freezes. Almost. He’s even closer to it when Reed slowly stands and turns with an omfg-that’s-horrific look on his face. Still, the android doesn’t want to give his unwilling partner any kind of ammunition to fire back at him. Not that he cares, really. It was just annoying to be constantly arguing with the human. 

“So, you’ve figured it out then,” the android says stony faced. 

Reed pulls a face and flips him the bird before beginning, “Oh-ho my God. Whoever did this dead-ass ground some android up and sprinkled its body in their fucking garden?” 

“Apparently.” 

The detective hesitates, “That’s... Fucking foul, man. What the shit!” 

It’s obvious how far taken aback Reed is. 

“I thought you hated androids, Detective. I’ve never known you to be so disturbed over an android’s death. Or to care at all.” 

“Fuck off, Tin-can; you’ve only known me for day. And this shit is fuckin’ sickening. Grinding up a human sized hunk of plastic and metal must’ve taken hours, if not days to do!” 

RK900 sighed, “Only a few seconds actually--” 

“Yeah, right. How the hell could one guy grind up an entire android in a few seconds, that doesn’t make any fucking sense!” 

“Industrial wood chipper.” 

The detective pauses and looks at nothing over his shoulder for a second before mumbling something about being Jim from an office. RK900 would have to ask who ‘Jim’ is later. 

Oh, well. 

“Okay,” Reed starts, “where would this sick bastard get an industrial wood chipper?” 

“Probably his back yard,” RK900 responds coolly. 

Reed puts his head in his hands and groans, “there’s one in his backyard isn’t there.” 

“Great work, Detective.” 

“Fuck, you.” 

*** 

RK900 had gone through the DPD database when he’d arrived at the scene and found all he needed about the suspect, but the android pulled up the page again to relay the information to Detective Reed. 

[Name: Cyrun Beach] 

[Age: 29] 

[Height: 6”0] 

[Weight: 140lbs] 

[Race: Caucasian] 

[Criminal Record: 1 account of armed robbery, served 6 years. Released Mar. 10, 2037] 

[Employment: Cyrun’s Mulch] 

[Family: Mother- Annalise Beach, Father- Jamie Beach, Sister- Abigale Beach] 

[Residence: 1672 Easleton Rd. MI] 

[Notes: Suspected involvement in anti-android gangs, suspected involvement in terrorist attack on android neighborhood, suspected involvement in disappearance of PL600 and WM400] 

Adding fingerprint and model type information to what he learned from the database RK900 pieces together a cohesive case against Cyrun. The suspect had made it so simple that the android’s certain even Detective Reed will be able to jigsaw everything together if he’s given the suspect’s file. He should give Reed the info... On the other hand, it would be funny to watch the detective flounder. RK900 decides against it and fills the human in. 

No use in a detective too riled up to do his job. 

*** 

“Alright, you plastic prick,” Reed taunts from where he’s leaning against the house, “You’ve figured it out! We know this Siren--” 

“Cyrun.” 

“Suck a dick! We know this Cyrun guy murdered the PL600 and the WM400 because you’ve identified their... _Chunks._ We know how he did it, and we know where he did it. All we really need is him. So, where the fuck is he?” 

“I haven’t found anything to suggest the suspect is still here. We cleared the inside of the house as well as both front and backyard.” 

“What about the other houses in the area?” 

“That’s what we’re doing now, Detective,” a glint catches RK900’s eye. His LED stops spinning blue and changes to a harsh red. 

“Good--” 

The android shoots his arm out dragging Reed from the place he’d been standing, a bullet lodges itself in the wooden support not a second later. RK900 drops the detective and turns, scanning the house opposite him. Upper-left window. He calculates his best outcome. The android sprints across the garden and out into the street, dodging a few bullets that come his way. One grazes his side, not enough to cause damage but it does tear his coat. RK900 doesn’t take time to worry about it but does take time to notice Reed has gotten up and is following. 

Recalculating... 

They’re on either side of the house’s front door, their guns are drawn. 

3...2...1... 

The door is slammed open. RK900 heads right, Reed left. Bottom floor cleared. The pair creep up the stairs, no sign of the suspect. The android keeps his gun trained on the bare hallway as Reed checks each room for their assailant. There’re 4 rooms along the hallway, the first three are empty. The detective looks to RK900 and nods. They take their places again. 

3...2...1... 

The suspect has his back to the far wall, a gun held in unsteady hands. At least he’s put on a determined face. RK900 scoffs. Cyrun is barely taller than Reed and much skinnier, unhealthily so. Where the android can see muscle on the detective, there’s skin and bone. Cyrun’s gun is held toward RK900. The android’s LED flips to yellow. 

Cyrun speaks, “drop your guns or I’ll kill you both,” it sounds weak. 

“I’d like to see you try, dumbass.” 

“Detective!” The android exclaims, his head turning to the human. 

“And don’t fuckin’ say anything android scum. Drop your guns.” 

RK900’s head turns back, keeping his eye on the suspect and slowly lowering himself to the ground. He lets the gun drop before standing smoothly. He prompts Reed to do the same. The detective does so reluctantly. 

The android edges diagonally toward both the detective and Cyrun until he’s less than an arm's length away from his partner. 

“Cyrun, I’m going to need you to give over your weapon and come with us,” RK900 says, his voice softer than his normal cutting tone. 

“Stop fucking talking!” He’s coming closer now, gun still facing the android. 

RK900 runs an outcome through his head. 93% chance of success. The android grabs Reed again and hauls the detective in front of himself. 

“Hey, what the fuck! What the fuck are you doing Dipshit!” Reed squirms in his grip but RK900 just tightens his arm around the detective, pinning his body and arms against the android. So much for not riling Reed up. 

Cyrun steps back and his face drops noticeably. RK900 takes advantage of the hesitation, stepping forward until the suspect’s gun is barely an inch from Reed’s forehead. The detective gets busy pulling back toward the android and turning his head as far away from the gun as possible. While Cyrun has a crisis and as the detective spews expletives RK900’s other hand comes up to straighten Reed’s head toward the gun. Reed’s hair is surprisingly soft. RK900’s LED once again spins yellow. 

“Do it, Cyrun. Two birds with one stone. Isn’t that what you wanted, Cyrun?” The android digs.  
Cyrun just stands there. 

“Come on, Cyrun. Pull the trigger.” RK900’s voice is back to the ice cold, feeling-less tone it usually is. 

The gun drops from Reeds head. 

RK900’s chin tips up in satisfaction, “Coward.”

The android finally drops the detective and snatches Cyrun’s gun from the suspect’s open palm and his from the floor. He cuffs the man and leads him outside and back across the street. RK900 hands Cyrun to another cop and Detective Reed finally exits the house. The android makes his way to the human. 

“You got a ride back to the precinct?” Reed’s words are clipped. 

“No.” 

“We’re getting the next cab. Don’t fucking speak to me until then or I’ll give you the same treatment the PL600 and WM400 got. You understand me, Dipshit.” 

“Of course, Detective,” RK900 blinks. 

This is going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long I couldn't get a hold of anyone to beta this oOF... I eventually said fuck it and here we are.
> 
> No beta, we die like men.


	4. Left Behind

Yes, Gavin had said the next cab. And yes, everyone else who had needed a ride back from the scene had already taken that next cab. That isn’t what is bothering the detective. What is bothering him though, is that his plastic fucking prick of a partner had used him as a human meat shield. He could have gotten fuckin’ shot and that plastic-piece-of-absolute-fucking-shit still had that cold-but-somehow-serene look on his face. You know what. Gavin’s had it. He’s only known Not-Connor for a day but he’s going to kill him and make it look like an accident. It shouldn’t be too hard, he’s a detective, he knows what to get rid of. 

Not-Connor interrupts his daydreaming before the detective gets to the good part. 

“I’ve called us another cab, Detective.” 

“I told you not to fucking speak to me. It’s easy when you want to get me in trouble but when there’s nothing for you to gain you give out a big ‘Fuck you’,” Gavin accused. 

“I’m not your slave, Detective. I don’t have to follow every little order you give me.” 

“What the fuck are you gonna do, huh? You gonna shoot me? You already tried that today, didn’t you, using me as a fuckin’ shield!” The man is yelling already. 

“Detective--” 

“Shut the fuck up!” 

“Detective, there was a 93% chance the suspect wouldn’t shoot.” Not-Connor raises his voice, but Gavin just jams his hands over his ears ~~like a whiny bitch~~ and repeats ‘shut the fuck up’ until the android stops talking. 

“Detective, that was immature. I wouldn’t have let the suspect harm you.” 

Gavin stares incredulously, “literally fucking _how_? You had my head right up to the damn muzzle, you tin-brained bitch!” 

“Cyrun wasn’t going to pull the trigger.” 

Gavin’s hands go to his hair as he steps away from the android. The whole thing is getting too overwhelming. He tries to breathe but every time the scene runs through his mind it reignites the fire in his belly. The detective lets out an angry groan and vaguely notices a cab pull up to the curb. 

“How would you know,” Gavin’s hands itch as he closes the distance between the two, “you can’t just do shit like that!” 

He gives in to the itch, driving forward into Not-Connor, propelling the android backward into the cab. Gavin lunges forward again, Not-Connor dodges one punch and ducks beneath another. The android’s LED shows a mocking blue. The detective sends a final valiant punch toward the android when he notices how utterly bored the prick looks. He almost chokes when the android grabs his fist. Not-Connor's other arm snakes up gripping Gavin’s shoulder. He’s yanked into the android. He’s spun around and slammed into the cab. He’s very sure he’s going to have a big-ass bruise later. Gavin drops to the ground when Not-Connor releases his shoulder. 

Fuck that was ~~hot~~ painful. 

Not-Connor fucking _saunters_ around the cab and gets in on the other side, Gavin knows that the android can feel the detective watching him. Gavin grimaces as he stands, Robo-cop may have done some actual damage. 

The detective smiles, “that’s right bitch run away. I still have to get in that cab with you. And maybe I’ll go through with grinding you up like I said I would; I think the PL600 and the WM400 will be happy to meet you.” 

Not-Connor's eyes narrow immeasurably. 

Gavin goes to open the cab door and the android’s head tilts to the side, “Detective.” 

He looks up noticing Not-Connor's LED shift from yellow to blue, “what is it now, Dipshit?” 

Gavin watches Not-Connor place his hand against the cab door, the detective balks when the android’s skin recedes revealing the white shell underneath, he’d never seen that before. He hears a lock click into place and goes to open the door. When it doesn’t Gavin’s gaze rises to the android’s and he’s met with smug satisfaction. Robo-cops got his phone. _Shit._

“I hope you like walking.” 

 

*** 

 

The walk back to the precinct is cold and wet and Gavin is starting to think that Not-Connor is actually much worse than regular Connor. The _sass_. The attitude and the way the android’s _stupid fucking face_ stays mockingly calm all the time made the human want to bash that _stupidly pretty fucking face_ in. Dammit. Just ‘stupid fucking face’ not ‘stupidly pretty fucking face’. Not that the android didn’t have a pretty face-- 

Gavin stops walking and curses, he must’ve hit his head when Not-Connor slammed him into that cab. There’s no other explanation for him to think that the android was attractive, none at all. Not-Connor isn’t attractive at all. ~~Okay, maybe he is~~. Fuck. Gavin tells his brain to shut up and finishes the trek back to the DPD. 

He almost forgets why he was angry as he was... And then he walks up the steps to the station and he sees Not-Connor talking with regular Connor. It all comes rushing back. Suddenly Gavin is more than ready for round two with his plastic prick of a partner and puts on his best fuck-out-of-my-way-or-I'll-send-you-six-feet-under look. Satisfaction rushes through him when his fellow officers are shuffling out of his way before he’s even through the door. Perks of being a grade A asshole he guesses. 

“Hey, Dipshit. Get me a fucking coffee, will you,” Gavin sneers as he steps up to the two androids, Not-Connor ignores him. His head tilts toward Not-Connor, “phone, bitch.” 

Not-Connor takes his time in meeting the detective’s eyes, he pulls out Gavin’s phone and holds it out to him without a word. Gavin reaches out but before he can take it the android lets the phone slip through his fingers,

" _Oops._ ” 

And with the phone Gavin’s resolve breaks. He launches himself at Not-Connor hurling both fists and all his most creative obscenities before the combined efforts of Chen, Chris, and Hank finally pull him away from the android. Gavin notices Connor’s hand on his younger counterpart’s shoulder, the older android is eyeing him. 

“Fuck you want, Dick-less? Memorizing what I look like before Robo-cop puts you out of a job too? You know he will, he’s better than you, it’s only a matter of time before you’re scrap metal,” Gavin smirks as Not-Connor stiffens, and regular Connor’s hand tightens on the taller android’s shoulder. “Hit a nerve, didn’t I?” 

Not-Connor just pulls away from Connor and strides past Gavin. Serves that dick right. Fuck Not-Connor. Fuck regular Connor. And fuck everyone in the precinct just for good measure. 

And fuck Not-Connor again. He deserves it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> subtle vine references because we all know Gavin Reed is Gen Z


	5. Interrogation Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> spoiler alert: gavin reed is gay

After taking note of the way Not-Connor _finally_ reacted to something Gavin said he grabs the few belongings he’d brought with him from his desk and steps back out into the cold. He decides to fill out his report in the morning. Fowler’s gonna complain but Gavin can’t find it in himself to care, he’s too busy riding the wave of hell-yeah-I-got-a-reaction-out-of-that-giant-fucking-toaster. 

That wave takes him all the way through the drive back to his apartment and even keeps up through his efforts to feed his cats, Kevin and Jackass. Gavin likes Jackass the most. Jackass is like Gavin and the detective appreciates it. Jackass is a huge asshole and the detective likes to think the cat tries to be like him. _Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery_ Gavin chuckles at himself. 

Once he sees the cats have eaten the detective sheds his clothes, collapsing onto his bed. He’s out before his head hits the pillow. 

 

***

 

 _Beep_

Gavin snoozes the alarm without even opening his eyes. It might have been impressive if it wasn’t so disappointing. 

_Beep_

It’s more of the same except this time there’s a groan before he hits snooze again.

 _BEEP_

This time the detective rolls to his side, checking the time. It reads 6:20. He rolls back to where he was and stretches leisurely. Gavin pauses, _did his clock say 6:20?_ He turns his head and waits for his eyes to focus on the numbers. 

Goddammit! 

Gavin practically leaps out of bed as he turns off the incessant fucking beeping that is his alarm. He’s only got ten minutes to be out the door if the detective doesn’t want to be late. Fowler would definitely put that on his record. He trips over his sheets and is nearly sent sprawling. He rushes into his bathroom, running through a mental checklist of what he’s got to do to not look like a giant fucking dumbass at work. 

Pee? Check. 

Wash hands and face? Check. 

Brush teeth? Check. 

Do hair? Check. 

Panic? He’s been doing that for as long as he’s been awake so checkity-fucking-check! 

The detective dashes any hope of showering as he pulls on whatever clean-ish clothes he can find. He doesn’t bother with breakfast either, that’s what the ever-present donuts in the precinct breakroom are for. Gavin used to get annoyed at the stereotype but shit, it’s not wrong. He grabs his phone and keys and slips out the door with two minutes spare. 

 

*** 

 

By the time Gavin enters the DPD the pit in his stomach that had been early morning panic has faded into a more fuck-now-I-have-to-deal-with-that-plastic-prick pit. It’s fucking uncomfortable. The detective just sits his ass down at his desk and pulls out the report he was supposed to have done the day before. He can feel Not-Connor's gaze across from him. Maybe if he looks busy with the report his bitch of a partner won’t talk to him. Gavin doesn’t want to have to think about the events from the day before. He really just wants to forget about it. 

He’s wrong. 

“Cyrun’s interrogation is being held at eight; you’ll need to be there.” 

“Yeah, no shit,” the detective looks up from the report, “you don’t need to tell me that like I’m a kid. In case you forgot, Toaster, I’ve been a cop longer than you’ve been alive.” 

“I know that quite well actually, I just don’t feel like waiting for you to get over yourself like I did yesterday. In case you’d forgotten.” 

It takes everything in Gavin to not reach of the desk and smack the android. Instead he smiles, “don’t you worry your pretty head, Barbie. I’ll be there.” 

The detective turns back to the report that was just taking longer and fuckin’ longer to get done. He spends about twenty minutes on it before turning it in and _fucking finally_ makes his way into the breakroom. He’s hungry as shit. He takes two ~~four~~ donuts from the box as he makes himself some coffee. Gavin carries his makeshift breakfast to a table and sighs dramatically when he sees Connor-Numero-Uno walk in. He just can’t get away from those two plastic freaks. Connor glances back but doesn’t say anything. 

“I got a question for you,” Gavin says through a full mouth, “what do you have that Connor-Numero-Dos doesn’t have?” 

Connor just takes a mug from the cabinet and sets it on the counter. 

“I mean, if he’s so much better than you, why are you still here?” 

Connor turns to Gavin with those ridiculous doe-like brown eyes, “why are you still here if there are detectives better than you?” 

“First of all, fuck you. I’m a great detective. Second... Fuck you.” It sounds dumb and Gavin knows it but it’s the best he can come up with on short notice. 

The android stares with an exasperated look, turning back to the coffee cup he was obviously preparing for Hank. A cream and a sugar. Gavin inwardly slaps himself for knowing that. A question pops to the front of the detective’s head. He’s almost more surprised he hasn’t asked about it sooner than he was to know how his coworker makes his coffee. 

“Hey, plastic. What’s you’re dumb brother’s name?” 

_Fuck he shouldn’t have asked that._ He shakes himself, _it’s just so he doesn’t have to keep saying ‘Not-Connor.’_ It is getting annoying but he wouldn’t let the plastic prick or his big brother know that. 

Connor pauses, “why do you want to know?” 

Dammit. 

“I just want to know his fucking name. Does it matter?” 

“He hasn’t really decided on a name yet,” the android glares, “but I’ve taken to calling him ‘Nines.’ He responds to it unlike everything else we’ve tried so don’t mess it up.” 

Gavin laughs as Connor leaves the room. “Nines,” he grumbles when his phone buzzes. Eight O’clock. 

 

*** 

 

The detective admittedly takes it a bit too far when he snail crawls his way to the interrogation room. He didn’t mean to take nine minutes more to make the one-minute journey but it’s worth it when he sees Not-Connor's face, passive-with-a-side-of-murder. 

“You said you wouldn’t be late.” The android says, his voice low. 

“You never told me you went by ‘Nines,’ Plastic.” 

Not-Connor turns Gavin, “don’t call me that.” 

Gavin winks at the android’s frown. He brushes past Not-Connor into the cold, grey room where the suspect is cuffed. He gives Cyrun a good once over, he’s not sure why he remembers the suspect’s name. Maybe the trauma of being held at gunpoint in front of the guy who you thought was supposed to be a good partner solidifies certain details in your head. He’s not sure when he started calling Not-Connor his partner either. The android follows not long after. 

Cyrun’s got his head bowed, Gavin swears his hands are shaking. 

“Heya, Cyrun. You willing to be a good little suspect and give us a nice confession?” Gavin prods. 

The detective watches Not-Connor shake his head from the corner of his eye. The android speaks, “Cyrun, we need your statement. You need to say something, or you’ll be automatically found guilty in court.” 

The detective looks away in confusion. _That’s not how that works..._ Not-Connor should know that. 

“Cyrun you could go to prison for 50 years, you’d be 79 by then. Do you really want to waste your life like that without a chance of redemption?” 

Gavin almost shows the hold-on-what-the-fuck on his face at that. Double homicide usually lands you with half that time and Gavin knows that Not-Connor knows that. ~~Wow, he thinks the word ‘that’ a lot.~~

“There’s always the chance you could be killed for it.” 

_Okay, that’s just ridiculous! The death penalty hasn’t been used on anyone with a double homicide charge in years! What the fuck is this fucking android talking about? Not-Connor has to be joking or something, right?_

Not-Connor's talking again but Gavin doesn’t hear it. _Oh._ Gavin has to admit, that’s clever. The android’s just winding poor Cyrun up. The guy doesn’t even know it’s happening. Gavin tunes back in to hear Not-Connor say something about the suspect dying in prison. Cyrun’s looking up now. 

Gavin grips the android’s shoulder, “Oh, man. Did you hear about that one case? A guy got fucking shanked by another prisoner because he sneezed. I wouldn’t want to end up there.  
Not-Connor's LED flashes yellow for a millisecond before it clicks. “I did hear about that one, Detective Reed. Did Chen tell you about all the deaths at Detroit state prison, the guys that died from a reemergence of the plague?” 

Gavin did his best baffled-soccer-mom-named-Susan-or-something gasp, “I heard it was sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.” He almost bursts out laughing at the sight of Cyrun’s horrified face as he said it. That shit’s just the scary science word for fuckin’ brain freeze. 

“I’m not snitchin’ to you or your plastic wannabe cop! I’m not going back!” Cyrun finally spoke. 

“Did you just insult my partner?” Gavin gasps again, “that could earn you another five years!” 

Not-Connor smirks at Gavin’s use of partner and the detective kinda wishes he hadn’t said it but is also glad he did. He leans across the table, “give us a statement and maybe we can work out a deal--” 

Pain blossoms in Gavin’s nose, Cyrun fucking headbutted him! Gavin screws his eyes shut at the sudden throbbing pain and feels around the cartilage with a pointer finger, he’s lucky Cyrun didn’t break his goddamn nose. In the seconds it takes him to open his eyes again Not-Connor has the suspect against the wall, his feet inches off the ground. Gavin watches the android lean into Cyrun’s ear, his left arm the only thing holding the suspect up. Not-Connor growls something Gavin doesn’t hear. Not-Connor takes Cyrun by the collar. Cyrun’s dropped back into his seat. 

Woah. _Fuck._ Did... ~~Nines~~ Not-Connor do that for him? 

The human excuses himself to get some ice and comes back to Cyrun furiously scribbling onto a statement sheet. He holds the ice to his nose as he jokes, “So, Nines--” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

“--We got a statement. And besides me getting headbutted in the face, that’s the most fun I’ve had in fuckin’ weeks.” 

Gavin may have laughed at that, but he wasn’t joking. It's fun to fuck with people. It's fun to go back and forth with people. He’d had fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm starting school in two days. I'm sorry, but it's probably going to fuck up the posting schedule for this. I've been trying to keep it pretty regular but I'm sure that's going to go straight out the window.
> 
> I'll do my best to update every couple weeks though so stay posted!
> 
> TYSM for 100 kudos and 1000 hits!!!


	6. Private Life

It’s been a bit more than an hour since Cyrun’s interrogation and Gavin still has the stupid ice pack pressed against his nose, the bleeding had stopped but shit did it still hurt. And it’s not helping that Not-Connor's ignoring him from across their desks. Not that Gavin had actually _said_ anything that would incite a reaction from the android. But still... A little conversation would be nice. Anything to distract from the dullness of ~~pretending to work~~ working. 

_Ugh._

The detective takes out his phone for the eighth time. ~~Not that he’s counting.~~ He scrolls around on various social media platforms but nothing catches his eye. Gavin resorts to playing the only game he has on his phone, It’s some knock-off Helix Jump. It doesn’t do anything to take the edge off the cattle-prod-of-boredom currently working its way through his head. The thought of a cattle prob makes his nose throb. He puts his phone away, instead fidgeting with the papers he’s supposed to be filling out that are strewn across his desk. He feels a pair of glaring eyes on him. _Yep, just Not-Connor._

“Focus, Reed.” 

_Oh, so now they’re on a last name basis_ Gavin thinks. 

“Fuck you, Goatman.” 

Gavin watches his partner’s LED swirl yellow before he speaks, “I usually understand your childish, passive-aggressive nicknames but I don’t see how ‘Goatman’ relates to me at all, Detective.” 

“It’s just a reference, Plastic. Don’t get too caught up in it.” 

“I’m not a Satyr,” the android looks like he’s going to blow a fuse, “I’m an android.” 

The human rolls his eyes, “Forget I said it... Nines.” 

“I told you not to call me that,” the android actually looks a bit annoyed. 

“Well, then what the fuck do you suggest I call you?” 

When Not-Connor stays silent Gavin does a little victory dance in his head. The android stares for a moment before turning back to his computer and Gavin breathes in sharply. _Jawline._ No! Fuck him and fuck his jawline. He’s still a plastic prick that’s just there to replace everyone. Right? _RIght?_

“So, where do you live?” It comes out before the detective can stop himself. “Probably some junk heap like Jericho, right? Or maybe with Hank and your twink brother, Connor.” 

Not-Connor's eyes stop scanning the screen he’d been hiding behind, and they turn to Gavin. Maybe that had been a bit much... The android is well out of the joking mood he’d been in earlier. Not-Connor's sitting rod-up-your-ass straight as he rolls his chair forward, he leans into Gavin’s space. 

“I know you’re only pulling Connor into this because you know you can’t get a rise out of me otherwise. I advise you stop using my brother as a crutch for your own insecurities.” His voice sounds almost staticky, it sends shivers down the detective’s spine. 

Gavin shoves the Not-Connor's shoulder, it doesn’t do much but it’s satisfying enough. It’s his turn to ignore his partner. He does his job for as long as he can before he starts spacing out again. He hates himself for daydreaming about running his tongue along the android’s sharp-as-fuck jawline. 

 

*** 

 

A few weird looks from Tina Chen later and Gavin’s shaking himself from the fog staring-off-into-space-for-way-too-fucking-long creates. 

He steels his few tell-tale nerves, “But, like, where do you actually live.” Not-Connor doesn’t respond so the detective tries again. “I’m not trying to be a dick this time, I’m just fucking curious. So, be a doll ~~heh~~ and just answer, okay.” 

“I own an apartment.” 

Gavin snorts but forces his best poker-face when he sees Not-Connor’s reaction. “Sorry. That’s chill. Do you... Go out and shit? Do you have a fridge?” The detective face-palms, “that’s fuckin’ stupid, you don’t eat. Do you even own any clothes besides your terminator-meets-grandma turtleneck outfit?” 

Not-Connor's dead-ass looking at him in what looks exactly like disgust. Shit, if Gavin had been bombarded by questions only rivalled by fangirls he’d be a bit disgusted too. He takes a while to say anything, it sounds rehearsed. Why he would rehearse this, Gavin doesn’t know. 

“I don’t go out, I do not ever feel the need to. But I do have a refrigerator and I do own other clothes than my.... _Terminator-meets-grandmother_ outfit.” 

The detective’s head snaps up, “Nines, you fuckin’ have to show me what other clothes you have!” 

“No,” the android says it like he’s been burned. 

“Come on! Just do it, I’m sure it’ll be funny as shit.” 

“That’s not reassuring me, Reed.” 

“You won’t do if for your partner? The one you scared a guy into confessing for.” 

Not-Connor pulls back, when he responds it’s defensive, “I didn’t do that for you. I did it for the betterment of the mission, get that through your thick skull, Detective.” 

Gavin’s not sure if he should be offended at that, he decides he will be, “Fuck you and your shitty fashion sense. Can’t take a joke can you, Dipshit?” 

“That was supposed to be funny? I couldn’t tell through your amateur delivery.” 

“I never said it was a _good_ joke. But then again, if you can’t recognize what it was, I can see why you still think you’re all that.” 

“I’m not a mirror, Reed.” 

Gavin smirks at that, “But I bet you wish you were, maybe then you’d be hot-as-fuck like me.”  
“Aw, I love self-confidence. Too bad it’s wasted on you.” 

Gavin pauses when he hears the ~~lack of~~ noise his coworkers are making. Competition fades to deer-in-headlights in his stomach. Everyone’s silently watching the pair in their little insult extravaganza. He turns back to Not-Connor and flinches, he hadn’t realized in the heat of the moment how close they’d gotten. The detective falls back into his chair, arms crossed and pouting, “the fuck you looking at!” 

He doesn’t comment on the amused face of Not-Connor or the raised eyebrows of Hank and Chen. He doesn’t stare at the android just to catch another glimpse of his jaw. Nope, definitely not. Gavin would never do such a thing. _Nope._

_Shit._

“You wanna know anything about me? You know. Just to have us on equal standing.” The detective asks peering around his computer. 

“I’ve read your file, and I’ve seen all of your internet history. I know more than you probably want me to know.” 

If Gavin had been drinking anything it would’ve been sprayed across his keyboard at that, “I’m going on break... Don’t look for me.” 

“Whatever you say, Reed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I'd try to update every two weeks, but I didn't think I'd be so busy that I'd actually have to take the whole two weeks lol.... Anyway, enjoy fellow humans.


	7. Intruder

_Fuck,_ he’s tired. It’s technically Sunday morning and he really just wants to sleep but instead he’s thinking about the last few days. Long, and angry, and boring-as-all-hell, except for the first bit obviously, is the best way Gavin can describe the past week. Nothing exciting happened after the surprise-you've-got-an-android-partner-and-you've-got-a-case on Monday. He’d met ~~and been an ass to~~ the plastic-prick-wannabe-Connor just about the whole five days. If he’s honest, he’s pretty fuckin’ proud of himself for finding out the plastic detective’s pressure point and a nickname in that time. It’s faster progress than what he’d made on Connor in that time. Gavin tells himself that he only wants to find out as much as he can about the android to annoy him, that had been true when he had basically cyber-stalked Connor for the first few weeks he was at the precinct... It’s pretty much just because in only a week of knowing Not-Connor the detective has fallen into a routine with the android. Like, a really well-oiled routine. _A much too well-oiled routine for it to be normal._

Gavin walks into work just on time, so he doesn’t get any more notes on his record. Nines is always there before him, sitting with his perfect-as-a-fucking-ballerina straight posture that makes Gavin’s back hurt just from looking at it. The android then leads with some sort of remark that the detective has no answer for. Every. _Single._ Day. 

Gavin really doesn’t know how he’s that creative. 

They work on finishing up the case, which they finally got done dealing with the day before— _thank the fucking gods--_ , and make snide comments when either of the two does anything even remotely incorrect. Literally anything. Gavin had to go home early on Thursday because he’d accidentally dropped a pencil and _every single time_ Not-Connor could get his attention he’d say a little ‘oops’ and hold intense-as-a-damn-migraine eye-contact while rolling a pencil off his desk with one of his mockingly pretty index fingers. It makes Gavin’s blood boil over how petty it is. He stormed out of the DPD so fast that day. 

He’s not proud. And he knows he shouldn’t be. Doesn’t mean he’s not going to pretend he doesn’t care. 

Thinking about that is what prompts Gavin’s current position. Laying wide awake in his bed trying to figure out whether he actually likes his robo-partner, or he just likes arguing with him. And damn it’s fun to argue with him. 

The detective hasn’t found anyone who can match him in a screaming contest other than Tina, and not even she is as good at it as Not-Connor is. Gavin thinks of Tina as a high school football game, it’s fun in the moment but overall unimpressive. Gavin thinks of Not-Connor as the Superbowl, in-it-to-win-it and a fight that’s fierce as fuck. Gavin thinks outwitting Not-Connor would be almost as fun as when he finally beat Kamski in a wrestling match for the first time. And he’s totally ~~not~~ won their little screaming matches before so step the fuck up. 

But back to winning against his perfect half-brother. 

_Ahhh, Nostalgia,_ the detective thinks as he stares into the blackness of his room. He rolls onto his side and glares at his alarm clock, it shows 2:43 am. At least he has Sundays off. Most of the time. Fuck, he doesn’t want to get up. Gavin prays to anything that might be out there that he doesn’t have to get up later. 

_Click_

The detective has semi drifted back into a daydream state when he hears it. It’s probably just the cats coming in from the balcony. Bastard might’ve broken the cat door again. He just buries himself deeper in the blankets, he’ll wait till morning to check. 

_Swish_

Yeah, just the cats brushing up against the door or something. ~~What if it’s a burglar?~~ He smiles into the dark at that one. Yeah, it’s a burglar that makes almost no sound as they break in, walk, and steal whatever they want to steal. That’s a _totally_ plausible option. 

Wait. 

Fuckin’ androids-- 

Gavin scrambles out of bed. He feels around his wall frantically. Shit, why can’t he find the switch? Does it usually take this long? Could there be some android in his apartment? He hasn’t seen an LED. There it is! He switches the light on and turns around to a hulking figure directly behind him. 

_“AH!”_

He jumps back as far as he can against the wall, obscenities flowing out of his mouth faster than his brain can process them. 

_“Whatthefuckfuckingshitwhothefuckareyougetthefuckawayfrommegetoutofmyapartment!”_

A hand is clapped over Gavin’s mouth and he’s pressed borderline painfully into the wall before he has time to react. He hasn’t looked up yet, or really registered anything about the intruder. He starts being more confused than panicked when the body just holds him there instead of tying him up or knocking him out. That’s more the pervert MO but who’s gonna argue semantics when you’re fearing for your life. The detective freezes when he chances a glance up at the face of the android currently holding him against his own bedroom wall. The android removes their hand. 

“Why the fresh _fuck_ are you in my house, Dipshit!” 

The human watches Nines smirk, “I’m just--” 

“It’s 3 am!” 

”Will you let me finish, Reed?” The android’s smirk widens at Gavin’s borderline psycho facial expression, “I’m just doing what you told me to do.” 

“How the fuck is showing up at my apartment at three in the morning ‘doing what I told you to do’ at all? How at all, Nines?” 

“You told me, and I quote ‘next time, tell me when there’s a fucking case.’ That’s how, Reed.” 

“Mother-fucker...” Gavin has to look away, he’s never heard Not-Connor curse. His face isn’t red. It’s not. ~~It’s not like the venom in the android’s voice is hot as shit.~~

“Only on weekends.” 

Gavin’s head snaps back, “excuse me?” 

“You called me a ‘mother-fucker' and I said ‘only on weekends,’ Reed. Learn to listen.” 

The detective lets a grin spread across his face, “fuck you!” 

“At least take me on a date first,” Not-Connor doesn’t hesitate. 

“I swear to God,” Gavin’s hands go to his bed-ruffled hair, “who taught you this? Bet it was Kamski, that fuckin’ weirdo.” 

“Possibly, possibly not. Aside from that, we really do have a case.” 

“Fuck,” the detective groans at the realization that he needs to be up again in less than three hours. He shoos Nines into his living room, "You gonna leave or what?"

"Why would I leave, we're partners?"

"We're partners at work."

"We'll be working together."

Gavin sighs, "whatever. You can stay, just don't do anything weird, alright. And don't wake me up again!"

The detective catches Not-Connor's glare as the android turns, "I won't, detective. Now, go. Sleep."

And that's what he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who’s left kudos and comments especially! It means a lot and any feedback is great!  
> Have a nice day (probably night lol) and hope you liked the chapter, Adios~~


	8. Snooping (or lack thereof)

RK900 spends the first hour of three sitting dead still on the detective’s couch. It’s well broken in, it’s been through a lot of wear and tear. _Almost like Reed,_ he thinks. The android’s patient, more so than any human but staring at a blank wall for an hour is enough to make anyone antsy. That’s something RK900 notices, all Reed’s walls are completely blank. All his partner’s shelves, and desks, and window sills, and tables are completely bare of anything remotely personal. It’s like the detective just moved in. The only thing the android has found is Reed’s police academy graduation certificate, and that’s hanging on his refrigerator by two grey-and-dull-as-watching-paint-dry magnets. RK900 finds it a little unsettling. 

It’s a complete turn-around from when he stayed with Hank and Connor. They were the complete opposite, instead of unsettled, RK900 had felt suffocated. Too much affection, parental or otherwise. The android had never really understood the constant PDA, but he thinks if they’re happy he’s happy. 

There were photos of Hank and Connor in the bullpen, at Hank’s favorite food truck, even at crime scenes. RK900 had almost laughed at that photo. That’s why it really shook him that Reed doesn’t have anything like the pictures. Doesn’t he want to be reminded of happy times in his life? Or at least of any places he’s been? 

Whatever it was, RK900 would ask him later. 

 

*** 

 

Two hours of mindless clicker games that barely keep him entertained and an attempt to cook with about four ingredients later, RK900 finally hears Reed stirring. _About time, even Hank gets up earlier than the Reed._ He looks up when the detective pads on bare feet into the kitchen. 

“The fuck is all this?” 

“I made you breakfast. Or at least did my best, what household with a human in it doesn’t contain milk?” 

“Mine, Dipshit,” Reed gripes, “why does the milk status of my apartment matter in making food?” 

“You have bones, don’t you? You need calcium to make sure you’re not as fragile as I think you are.” 

“Fuck you, milk is gross, I’m not doing this at six in the morning.” 

RK900 glares at the human, “here.” 

“Toast?” Reed glares back. 

“You literally had one food in your house, the three other things in your refrigerator are ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce. You do not get to complain over this.” 

The detective plops down at his table,” I can put two slices of bread in the toaster, you’re not getting a thank you.” 

“I didn’t ask for one.” 

RK900 watches Reed’s eyes narrow to slits. Surprisingly the detective doesn’t shoot back some lame excuse for a comeback. RK900 pushes away what definitely isn’t disappointment. He stays silent while his partner finishes eating. Reed gets up before the android can ask about his lack of decoration throughout the apartment. RK900 lets him go. 

Then it gnaws at him. 

The android ignores the feeling, he gets up, rinses off the plate he’d given Reed. 

And it gnaws at him. 

He doesn’t act on it, he shakes his head. ~~Like that would actually work.~~ He even angles the kitchen table differently to make more room, Reed is in the shower now. 

_And it gnaws at him._

Pesky deviancy-induced curiosity. 

RK900 strides out of the kitchen, weaving his way through the apartment until he’s inside Reed’s room. He shouldn’t just barge in while the human is taking a shower. That’s a privacy thing, right? The android has never been too big a stickler on privacy and he can picture the ~~jealousy~~ exasperation on his face when Reed walked into work with a hickey on his neck a few days before. The android refuses to let himself be annoyed that it’ll be there for at least a couple more days. 

Since he’s not a complete douchebag—the android acknowledges Reed’s complaints and agrees, he is a douchebag at times—he doesn’t barge into the bathroom. Instead he quietly finds a key, unlocks the door, and opens it. _See? Now he didn’t barge in._ He leaves the door open. 

RK900 pulls back the shower curtain, getting a once over of the human, “Reed--” 

_”AH!”_

“--stop screaming.” 

“Get the phck out!” 

The android notices the sleep-addled mumble that was obviously supposed to be a curse and suppresses a chuckle, “I have a question.” 

Reed doesn’t listen, “what the fuck are you doing you overgrown Roomba! Ever heard of privacy? _Shit!_ ” The detective pulls the curtain closed again. 

“You’ve never been big on it before,” the android says ignoring the jump in octave his partner’s voice had just taken. 

“I’ve known you for like a week!” 

“And yet you flaunt your sex life for the entire precinct to see. That’s happened before judging on the fact that no one reacted.” 

“That’s different, Nines, that’s a few bruises. This is my dick, Jarvis!” 

“Don’t worry, Detective, I’m not going to tell anyone about the impressive Not-So-Little Reed and your tattoos. I just want to ask you a question.” 

Reed is silent for a moment, RK900 hears his voice drop back to normal. Back to the over-confident-asshole-who-used-to-be-a-fuckboy-voice. Has he said something wrong? Reed clicks his tongue, “you think my cock is impressive?” 

That’s when RK900 realizes his mistake. The only mistake he’s made so far that will take him more than thirty seconds to correct. Reed had been silent for a moment or two earlier, the android detective is silent for many more moments that he’s comfortable enough to recognize.

“I’ll wait for you outside. I’m calling a cab,” he forces out.

RK900 registers Reed’s cackling before the android even finishes his sentence. He’s out the door and outside in record time, not that he’d ever left Reed’s apartment in a hurry before, he’s never left Reed’s apartment at any speed, in fact. He sits at a bench by the glass doors of the building. He calls a cab. He briefly considers throwing himself in front of one of the cars speeding by. _This must be what embarrassment feels like_ he thinks in the back of his mind. He waits 10 minutes for Reed and takes a deep gulp of air that he doesn’t need when his audio processors pick up the detective’s footsteps. 

“What was it you wanted to ask me?” Reed asks nonchalantly as a cab pulls up. 

“Nothing. I’ll ask you later.” 

“Are you sure,” the human’s smile picks up again. 

“Get in the cab, Reed,” RK900’s words are clipped. 

The detective salutes him, “Sir, yes, sir,” and slips into the back seat opposite to where RK900 is getting in. 

RK900 keeps his eyes locked out the window. This cab ride may be even worse than the one he’d had the first night of his partnership with Reed. 

_Goody._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy, thanks for 200 kudos and 2000 hits! You guys are the best!
> 
> Oof, Nines. Yikesssss.


	9. Basic Bitch

Unlike the last time RK900 was in a cab that he was supposed to share with his partner, the android was the uncomfortable one. He was also joined in the cab this time. Though he supposed it was his own fault he had been alone then. The butterflies in his stomach were not much different this time around, though. Reed had thankfully not brought up what he’d said earlier. _Thank, rA9._ RK900 knows he’ll have to say something eventually, if only to fill in his partner with the details of the case. _Since he’s with me I’ll be able to analyze Detective Reed’s working capabilities,_ the android thinks. A pop-up flashes in front of RK900’s eyes. 

[10 minutes until arrival at Checkerville Warehouse] * * * [Analyzing Faces: 

-Sophia White, Human, Female, 24, African American, Virginian originally, Detroit citizen 

-Joshua Phillips, Human, Male, 27, Caucasian, Arizonian originally, Detroit citizen 

-Olivie, Android, AX400, Detroit citizen, free-status 

-Anais, Android, WR400, Detroit citizen, free-status 

Shared Address: 1928 Planter St. ]

_Link needed to determine relationship between victims._

“It appears the victims lived together.” RK900 calls to his partner from across the scene. 

“No shit, Sherlock. Saffi and Lyvie are married, looks like the other two were on the same path.” 

The android frowns, “did you know them?” 

“They have wedding rings, Dipshit,” Reed looks up. “Saffi and Lyvie have fuckin’ matching bracelets with their names on ‘em. The other girl has an engagement ring, It’s likely that since the dude fell with her in his damn arms, he’s the one that put it there.”

 _Link established._

“He was protecting her.” 

_“Ding ding ding,_ Robocop.” 

RK900’s LED flashes yellow as caches the information. He’s a little impressed with the human.

The human and android pair spend the next hour pouring over the scene, RK900 finding cold hard evidences, Reed finding the more personal aspects. Reed joked once that they were a real-life Sherlock and Watson, the android had chuckled. When the two couldn’t glean any more from the scene they took what they’d found to the precinct to look over. House calls to neighbors needed to be made, suspect lists to be drawn up, witnesses to be interviewed, so much to Reed’s dismay RK900 shot down a stop at Starbucks. _So what if I’m a basic bitch, an occasional Starbucks coffee is good as shit_ the human had said to him. 

Now he’s standing menacingly in the interrogation room watching Reed’s mouth move. He’s not going to lie to himself, the detective does have a decently proportional face, the only real mar to it is the scar. And some people find that handsome. ~~Definitely not him.~~ The android realizes he should be paying attention but he can always just download the video so he isn’t really bothered. He’s content just watching his partner’s lips. That’s not weird right? He’s seen Reed do it before, so it can’t be. Why’s he stopped talking? 

“Barbie!” 

All eyes are on him, the teens who'd found the body, Reed, probably Hank and Connor who are moderating from behind the glass. _Don’t blush._

“Yes?” 

“This gremlin--” 

“He-hey!” One of the teens squeaked. 

“--just asked you a question.” 

RK900 turned to the teen that had previously spoken, “what.” The kid shrinks back, he must've forgot to add tone to his voice. 

“W-will, will we get, get in... Trouble for have-having Red Ice?” 

“There’s always a chance, I suggest you don’t use it again. At least not in places there could be dead bodies.” 

RK900 watches Reed frown, “you’re gonna let ‘em off?” 

The android rolls his eyes, “we’re trying to figure out who killed 4 people and you’re worried about some teenagers who probably won’t be able to take a single hit without coughing their lungs up?” 

“They’re underage.” 

“They’re not the priority.” 

“Shit, Nines. Who put a stick up your ass?” 

A couple of the kids snicker, RK900 just sighs and turns back to the girl he’d been talking to, “there’s something else, right?” 

She nods, “So, um, do we have-have to um... Give our statement o-orally or can we just wri-ite it? If you-you can’t tell I ha-have a st-stut stutter, it might not be the b-est idea for me to say it.” 

“The statement is done in written form, you don’t have to worry,” the android assures her. 

“You don’t want to get that fixed?” Reed interjects. 

“Reed!” 

“It-It makes me unique, I like the stu-stutter for that. I assume it’s the same-same way with your scar.” 

The detective looks away from where he’d been glaring at RK900, “yeah.” 

RK900 steps up to the table, “alright, everyone can leave now. Just don’t leave the state in case we need anything else.” 

Reed looks up toward the android with a face RK900 isn't familiar with while the teens file out of the room, “can androids get high on Red Ice?” 

“I suppose we could, Red Ice’s main ingredient is Thirium. Our bodies wouldn’t recognize it as a contaminant, so it should be able to change our functions as though we were getting high. Why?” 

“Everybody, wait!” 

The teens stop and turn. 

“Are Hank and Connor gone?” 

“The old guy and the android’s twin?” One of the boys asks. 

“Yup.” 

“They’re gone.” 

“Nice. Now unless you want to get arrested, give me all the Red Ice y’all have.” 

RK900 turns to the human in confusion. _What in rA9 is he doing?_

The teens reluctantly pull baggies of the substance from pockets and bags and place it on the table in front of Reed. Some obviously try to hide it and the android watches his partner glare at them until they give up the drug. 

Reed smiles, “you’re free to go.” 

And they do, quite quickly in fact. 

“What was that, Reed?” 

The detective just holds up the baggies, “wanna see if you can get high?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can’t already tell I have no idea how long cases take to solve so bear with me thxx lol
> 
> Also sorry it took so long for this to come out


	10. Gavin's Guide To Getting High: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gavin and nines get high, this is part 1 of 2 because I want them to have the giggly high too

“What?” RK900 stares at the human, his face scrunches up in confusion. 

“I asked you if you want to get high.” 

“I heard that. I mean why?” 

“Cause it’d be fuckin’ fun.” 

The android blinks, “you must want to get fired, Reed.” 

“We’re not doing it here, Dipshit,” his partner scoffs, “I’m not suicidal. Come over after work. _For science._ ” 

RK900 hesitates, “for science.” 

 

*** 

 

 _FuckfuckfuCKFUCKFUCK_

_Why the fuck did he do that? And why the fuck was he so confident when he said it?_ Gavin’s trying to kick his smoking habit, mostly cigarettes unfortunately, and it’s working. If he just established Nines as his fancy-robot-smoking-buddy, even if he’s gonna smoke something different, he’s definitely going end up with lung cancer to match his alcoholism. That’s just what he needs, more bad habits. _For science_ he thinks. 

Gavin forces a smile on his face and stands, snatching the Red Ice baggies from the table and stuffing them into his leather jacket pockets as he goes. 

Gavin ~~practically sprints~~ walks calmly out the door, “See you then, Plastic!” 

_Fuck._

 

*** 

 

It’s about four hours later, and Gavin’s at his desk glaring at the clock taunting him from the computer screen. It shows 12:23 pm. Seven minutes until his lunch break and the minutes just keep getting longer, if time translated to music in Gavin’s head he might’ve compared it to a ritardando. Instead he compares it to a starfish that gradually loses a leg every few steps... He’s not much of a poet. Thankfully the robot detective interrupts his thoughts. 

“Detective Reed, is there a certain time you want me to arrive later or am I riding with you?” 

The human thinks back to a few hours earlier and decides to fuck with his partner, “you want to ride me,” he asks and leans forward, a shit-eating grin on his face. Gavin watches RK900’s face blush blue. 

“That is not—” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Detective--” 

“I mean it’s quite the coincidence.” 

“Reed, I am trying to ask you a question!” 

Gavin rolls his eyes, “fine. I’m leaving at 2 so you better be at my car or you’ll have to find your own fuckin’ ride, alright?” 

Nines seems to relax, “alright.” 

Gavin checks the clock again, it says 12:25. 

_Good enough._

The detective’s lunch goes by uneventfully, he briefly considers slipping out the back door of the precinct but decides against it. Wouldn’t want another note on his record. He actually gets back to work at 1 and gets so into the zone it’s only when he finally notices the android, he’s grown accustomed to sitting in front of him is absent that he looks at the time. _Time to go home bitches_ he smiles. 

Gavin closes the six tabs he has open and rifles through the papers and files on his desk for his phone _check_ and keys _check_. He neatens the papers into a semi-organized-but-not-really stack and shoves them into a drawer. No need to leave them out and get fired because some numb-skull colleague of his decided to go through them. The detective heads out into the garage and shoves his hands into his pockets. 

_What the fuck?_

Oh, right. Now he’s got to deal with that fucking android in his apartment for a second time that day. This better not become a recurring goddamn thing, Gavin doesn’t need his neighbors or coworkers seeing him going home with Nines and thinking he’s fucking his partner. ~~Even though he might kinda want to fuck his partner.~~ Nope, no. No. Nope, not at all. Incorrect. Gavin shakes his head as he walks up to his car, Jarvis is there. 

“You’re usually in more of a hurry to leave work, is something wrong, Detective?” 

Gavin sighs, unlocking the door and sliding in the driver seat, “Nah, plastic. I’m great, just got wrapped up in what I was doing.” 

“Oh, alright.” 

Now they’re both sitting in an uncomfortable silence, the detective suddenly feels claustrophobic. _Better watch out for Santa_ he smiles to himself and starts the car. It’s not a long drive, only 10 minutes, but Gavin switches on the radio and dials it all the way up. RK900 tells him to turn it down, Gavin tells him to shut up. It’s a happy agreement in his books. 

They don’t talk for the rest of the drive, the detective almost sighs of relief when he parks in his spot. Not wanting to stay in the awkward energy that was his car, Gavin gets out and pushes through the glass doors of his building. He probably should’ve waited for Nines... _Oh, well._

 

***

 

RK900 hesitates, “what do I do?” 

His partner scoffs, “what do you mean _what do I do?_ Smoke it!” 

“I’m sorry, Detective, but I’ve never had the genius idea to smoke Red Ice or any other illicit substance before. I am a bit inexperienced.” 

“You’re a one of a fuckin’ kind, top of the line android. Look it the fuck up, dipshit!” 

RK900 sighs, “why don’t you just show me, Detective Druggie.” 

“Fuck you,” the detective exclaims in obviously dramatized offense but takes the Red Ice anyway. 

The detective holds it up to his face and places it between his lips in a confident motion. He takes a hit and offers it back to RK900. The android watches the tension is his partner’s shoulders drain away. 

“Ta daaa!” 

RK900 makes a face, “do I have to?” 

“Yes, dipshit! You promised.” 

“I don’t believe I promised anything.” 

“Fuck off, just do it,” the detective groans. 

RK900 rolls his eyes and brings the Red Ice to his lips as he had seen Reed do it. He takes an experimental suck in. Red warnings pop up in front of the android’s eyes and fans start blowing the smoke from his body out through his nose, other than that, nothing happens. He shakes his head and manually shut off the fans. RK900 ignores the warning messages, he already knows the Red Ice is a foreign substance. If he didn’t, he should probably just shut himself off. He glances at Reed whose eyes have glazed over and tries again. 

RK900 feels his senses dampen, he can’t hear correctly. He can’t see correctly. His processors aren’t working correctly. He feels his body heating up. If this is what Red Ice does to an android, he can see why humans do the things they do while under the influence. 

“Reed, I think there’s something wrong with me,” his voice sounds funny. 

The detective’s smile turns into the grin RK900 is starting to enjoy seeing more and more, “that means it’s working.” 

“I don’t think I like it; all my sensors are turned down to human levels.” 

“And that’s a bad thing?” 

RK900 feels whatever wall he had holding him back come crashing to the ground as he takes another hit, “yes!” 

Reed leans into his face, “rude,” he whispers. 

“It’s not rude, I'm stating the obvious.” 

“Fuck you, at least now you know what it’s like to be me.” 

“I don’t think I could fall that far.” 

“Oh, you’re so fucking superior, huh,” the human still hadn’t gone back to his original position, if anything he was closer to RK900 than before. 

“Yes, actually.” 

“I think it’ll be easy as hell to knock you down to my level.” 

“I really don’t think so, Detective.” 

Their faces are inches apart now, RK900 can feel the heat radiating off his partner’s face. The red of the Detective’s face a stark difference to the soft blue of the android’s cheeks. 

“You wanna bet?” 

RK900’s mouth suddenly feels dry, probably a symptom of the Red Ice, his synthetic tongue darts out and wets his lips. Reed stares. 

“Detective?” 

Reed’s eyes unglaze slightly as he meets RK900’s eyes, “shit,” he jerks backwards back onto the couch. 

RK900 settles back into his chair and takes another hit. 

“Give it.” 

RK900 does. 

“And stop calling me ‘Detective,’ it’s starting to get annoying.” 

The android’s eyebrows furrow, “what do you want me to call you then?” 

“I dunno, Nines. Maybe my goddamn name.” 

“Gavin it is, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is it obvious that i've never gotten high before? I've only talked to my friends about their experiences soooo


	11. Gavin's Guide to Getting High: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Gavin's problem with memory is revealed

RK900 lets the conversation go dead, he doesn’t want t make it any more awkward than it obviously is, not even Connor would be that oblivious. 

RK900 glances around around the room from his place across from Gavin and a question he’d had nagging in his head since the last time he was in Gavin’s apartment surfaces, now’s a good enough time as any, “De- Gavin, why don’t you have any sort of photographs?”

“What?”

“You don’t have a single photograph of yourself, your friends, or coworkers.”

“Yeah, so what? Why would I want any of you Dipshits staring at me?”

The android watches his partner press himself into the couch and cross his arms. It’s almost like he’s hit a sore spot… But what about photographs elicits that kind of reaction, most people, especially the pair’s coworkers, are enthusiastic about displaying whatever photos they have to anyone they find willing to look. RK900 doesn’t want to cause a scene but decides to pry.

“Because everyone has photos, Gavin,” RK900 cocks his head to the side, “don’t you want them at least for sentimental value or for the memories?”

The android watches his partner seem to shrink, the detective crosses his arms, “why do you even want to know?”

“I’m curious. Isn’t that what it means to be human?”

Gavin seems take aback, “hah, I thought you didn’t want to be anything like a boring-and-fragile-as-fuck human.”

“You’re dodging the question.”

“Fuck you, Plastic,” RK900 can tell the words have no bite, “you really want to know why I can’t stand having pictures in my house? It’s not that deep.”

RK900 just nods, watching Gavin kick his legs up onto the table between them.

“I don’t want the constant reminder of things I’ve lost. I don’t want my cop friends to get shot and then see them staring at me from the shelves. I wanna forget sometimes.”

“That’s it?”

“Of course that’s it!” Gavin stares right at him and takes another hit from the Red Ice, “ I’m sorry I’d rather block out the memory of my little brother making billions off the first fuckin’ androids he built than feel how much of a disappointment I am. I’m sorry I don’t want to see pictures with the person who freaked the fuck out when he found out I was gay, giving me this stupid fucking scar on my nose. I’m sorry I don’t want to see my dead partner every-fuckin-day.”

“I-”

“I’m sorry that the moment you die, or leave, or whatever the phck, I’m going to start denying you ever existed.” 

The android pauses for a moment, “you know I can’t die, right? I’m not going to leave you.”

Gavin just laughs, “everyone leaves me," then he sighs, "I hope that’s good enough for you, I’d really rather not talk about it.”

“As you wish, Gavin.”

 

*****

 

It takes awhile but the two detectives mood eventually shifts to a more cheery one, laughter ricocheting off the walls. RK900 finds his are real and far away from the forced chuckles he’s had before. He relaxes into the feeling the Red Ice gives him instead of shying away from it like he had earlier in his life. He takes this carefree time to find out what his sense of humor is, he gets Gavin to tell him as many types of jokes as he can think of. Some make him laugh, others don’t.

“No, no, nooo! I think you’ll like these, Nines, just hang on a second!”

“Gavin.”

“C’mon, Connor loves puns!”

_“Gavin.”_

“Nines!”

“...Fine,” the android surrenders.

Gavin claps his hands together, leaning toward him, “what sound does a plane make when it bounces off the ground?”

“Well first of all, a plane wouldn’t bounce, it would crash, and second--”

“Boeing.”

RK900’s LED circles yellow before switching almost immediately to crimson. The android glares as hard as he can at his partner but Gavin’s smile widens, “that wasn’t even good.”

That sets the human off, if RK900 had less self-respect he’d say the human was almost rolling on the floor laughing. Good thing he does. The android watches his partner quickly end up laughing silently, his hands weakly slapping the table in front of him. 

As he calms down Gavin starts talking again, “come on, Nines, you know that was great. It couldn’t have be that….”

RK900 frowns, “that what?”

“Boeing.”

RK900 lets out a groan, “stop.”

“Hahaha! Are you saying my jokes are plane?”

“Gavin Reed, _stop._ ”

That just seems to set his partner off even more than the first time, the android’s LED hasn’t changed from red since it switched in the first place.

“Wow, maybe the reason you aren’t laughing is because these puns are _flying over your head._ ”

RK900 shakes his head and surges across the table, his hand slapping over his partners mouth. He elects to ignore Gavin’s raised eyebrows and his own instincts telling him to pull back before Gavin blows up on him. Surprisingly the detective doesn’t say anything.

“Gavin, for your own health and safety, shut the fuck up before I punch you. I wouldn’t want to break that pretty face.”

Gavin doesn’t respond for a second, RK900 think he might have broken him or something. The detective’s cheeks seem redder than before. Then he feels Gavin’s tongue press against his hand and he snatches it away, the android pulls a face. 

“Gav--”

The human takes RK900’s hand back and pulls him closer even that they’d been before when Gavin practically jumped away from him earlier. The android’s thirium pump starts beating faster, the only time they’d been this close was a fight they’d had within the first few days they’d know each other, and even then it’d been out of anger, not whatever this was. RK900 still wasn’t perfect at distinguishing the complex emotions found in humans and other deviants.

The android’s LED switches to gold when Gavin smiles wide, “you think I’m pretty?”

There it is.

_“Uh..”_

Maybe it’s the fact that Gavin’s right, maybe it’s the closeness, or maybe it’s the Red Ice but RK900 can’t seem to think of an excuse. Maybe it’s the fact that he can’t take his eyes off Gavin’s smile. 

He watches Gavin fall back, resting his head on the back of the couch and mirrors the action from his chair. They stare at the ceiling in silence for a few minutes, RK900 distantly realizes this is the first time they’ve shared a comfortable silence in the week they've worked together. The pair stay there until Gavin’s stomach rumbles. 

“Hey, Nines, can you… Telepathically order pizza? It’s like five o’clock, I’m _starving._ ”

The android picks his head up, squinting at the detective and sighing, “sure,” he can feel the effects of the Red Ice fading. He doesn’t mind.

RK900 places the order and within 15 minutes he hears the delivery guy’s footsteps outside the door. Reed is the only one who can actually eat so RK900 just watches from where he’s sitting, making the occasional comment on how Gavin should shut his mouth when he eats lest the human look like a dog. The conversation turns more toward their work-time squabbling with sharp remarks being thrown between the two. They have petty arguments until Gavin finishes eating prompting RK900 to somewhat sarcastically makes his leave, slipping out of Gavin’s apartment and heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, sorry I haven't updated in like,,,,, 4 months. Testing season is a bitch, huh.


	12. Dates and Discernment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of interactions between my boys!

The next couple months were a blur for Gavin, the investigation into the deaths of the two couples, Sophia and Olivie and Anais and Joshua, had run into a dead end. Nothing new had been found in the case for weeks so the days seemed to mush together into an unintelligible mess in his head. There were only specific days he really remembered and somehow they all related to Nines. Not that Gavin wanted to remember Nines. ~~Not that Gavin held on to those good memories for dear life on bad days.~~

 

**Friday, April 1st, 2039**

 

Gavin exits the DPD’s parking garage and starts heading back to the precinct. He’d already been in the building for a couple of hours, but no one else had to know that. They just had to come in to work. He smiles to himself as he turns the corner-- _Fuck, Nines and Connor. Wait, this is a good thing, now I get to see the look on both their faces when they see the masterpiece I’ve constructed._

“Hey, Nines! Hey, Connor.” 

The two were facing away from him when he turned the corner and they two don’t turn when they acknowledge him. Nines seems shorter than usual but they’re standing far enough away from each other that their heights look identical.

“Good morning, Detective,” Connor says in his cheery fucking voice.

“Gavin.”

“So, y’all know what day it is, right?”

“Of, course!”

“It’s the first of April, Gavin. It’s evident you know that so why ask.”

Nines posture shifts to his more impatient way of standing, Gavin’s learned to pick up on his body language for subtle clues to his emotions as well as his LED. The pair still don’t turn around.

“Well, I just. Hey, are you guys o-fuckin-kay? You haven’t even turned around and I’m talking to you. That shit’s rude!”

Connor’s shoulders rise, “Oh, I’m sorry! Would you like us to turn around?”

“Uh… Yeah, no shit.”

Connor who’d been farther along the path than Nines, starts backing up, when he reaches Nines Gavin is filled with more questions on the two than he had before.

_What the…_

The pair turns around and Gavin nearly leaps out of his skin. The android he’d thought was Nines is the shorter of the two, all his coloring is right but the angles are all wrong. The android’s face is too slim and his facial features are softer than Nines. The taller android is equally weird to look at, Connor’s coloring on what Gavin can only assume is Nines’ body.

And even the voices of those two sonuvabitches had been swapped!

“Fuckin’ change it back!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Not-Connor says.

“What is there to change back,” Not-Nines asks innocently.

That’s when it hits him. They really got him good.

“You know, that shits freaky as hell, but good job. You two had me weirded the fuck out.”

Not-Nines smiles and Not-Connor says, “I’m glad you appreciate our efforts. Would you like to accompany us into the precinct.”

“Would I ever!”

The three turn and head through the doors to the precinct. Gavin knows the two androids have noticed when he stops hearing their footprints behind him and smiles. He dies laughing when he sees the murderous look on Not-Connor’s face and the tired droop of Not-Nines’ features. 

“Gavin, why the _fuck_ did you wrap everyones _fucking_ desks in aluminum foil?”

**Thursday, April 21st, 2039**

The entire precinct is decorated for Easter, pastel thumbtacks holding up photos of potential suspects, construction paper easter eggs with glittery golden patterns hung up multicolored yarn from the ceiling, jelly carrots, bunnies, and eggs stuck on windows, and rabbit stickers adorning every single officer and detective’s name tags and terminals. Gavin honestly couldn’t give less of a fuck about any holidays other than Christmas and Halloween but he’s bitched enough about the decorations in previous years that he doesn’t think it’ll do anything. _At least there’s free candy._

That’s what Gavin has been doing while waiting for a warrant to search a suspect in their investigation’s house; gorging himself on candy. Pretty much everyone in the DPD brings a pack of some type of sweet for Easter, he busies himself with wondering what Nines brought. And that’s what he’s doing when Nines returns from his break. 

“I’ve felt your eyes on me since you figured out I was in the breakroom. What do you want?”

Gavin looks his partner up and down, “I want your candy.”

“I don’t eat candy, therefore I didn’t bring any.”

“What, I can!”

“Not everything in my life revolves around you, Gavin.”

“It’s a tradition!”

“I don’t care.”

“Ugh, whatever, Tincan.”

Gavin spends the rest of the day, as anyone could have guessed, scavenging whatever candy he could scrounge up from the other members of the DPD. When he asked Connor and Hank he’d gotten nothing but a hersey kiss and an insult from Hank, Tina hadn’t even looked up, just opened a drawer and plopped a small bag of sweets into his hand. Gavin met varying success with his other coworkers before returning to his desk.

As the end of the day approached Gavin withdrew further and further from everyone else, whereas his coworkers seemed to be buzzing. Every major holiday a picture was taken of the entire working population of the DPD, they were hung up in hallways, in Fowler’s office, some of the officers had their favorite pictures in frames on their desks. The only person who wasn’t excited was Gavin, especially not after he’d told Nines why he couldn’t deal with being in photos. He’d just have to find a way to get out of it.

The detective frowned when Connor went to the front of the room calling everyone’s attention on him.

“Alright, everyone, it’s time for our Easter photo!”

A chorus of cheers ring out from a few people around the precinct.

“I know this sucks, but I have some bad news, Ben’s good camera with the countdown died and no one else has one with a countdown so we’ll need a cameraperson--”

“I’ll do it,” Gavin’s voice rings out a little too quickly for his liking.

Connor;s head tilts to the side, “are you sure, Gavin?”

“Positive.”

Everyone starts moving into position and Gavin catches his partner’s eye, Nines just fixes him with a cold stare. The detective breaks the stare and looks at the ground until Connor hands him the camera. 

“Everybody ready?”

_Nines does not look happy._

“3….2…”

“Gavin didn’t you take the picture at New Years?’

_Really, Nines?_

“Uh, yeah. But I don’t--”

“Give me the camera. I’m going to rig it to take a photograph when I send it a signal.”

“You really don’t have to,” Gavin gives a strained smile.

“You don’t want to be excluded now do you? You might forget this wonderful time.”

Nines sys it with too little humor for Gavin to think he’s joking.

He smiles more believably and hands it over when the android joins him, “thanks so much,” he says through gritted teeth.

“Anything for you.”

Gavin ends up smack dab in the middle with Nines on one side, an arm wrapped around his waist, just enough pressure to be noticable with Tina Chen on his other side and ridiculous purple rabbit ear on his head. He smiles, half fake, half real. And when Nines’ arm leaves his waist he’s surprised to find that he’s disappointed.

 

**Monday, May 2nd, 2039**

 

It was almost 2pm when the pair apprehended the perp from a call they’d gotten while chasing a dead-end lead for their android-human homicide case. It had been a quick catch for the reason that the man they’d caught was in Gavin’s eyes some kind of Olympian or something; he swears the guy must be related to Usain Bolt. Unfortunately, in the process the perp got a lucky punch in on Nines and split his lip before Gavin knocked him out. ~~Maybe the perp is more a ninja than a marathon runner.~~

Instead of helping Officer Chen load the man into her car or listening and interjecting into his partner’s retelling of the events that occurred before she arrived, the detective is staring unabashedly at the blue blood staining Nines’ mouth. He’s staring a little too long at the way the unobstructed sunlight beaming down on Nines’ face shines and the blood pooling around his lips makes him look ~~deliciously~~ intimidating. Chen’s snapping brings him back to reality.

“Hey, dumbass! Are you even listening? You’re doing the paperwork for this, I’m still on duty for another few hours and don’t have the time to do it for you.”

Nines’ head snaps toward Gavin, “you’ve had Tina do all your paperwork, Gavin?”

“Uh--”

“And I thought I was getting somewhere with fixing your laziness.”

“Face it, Nines, that’s never getting fixed,” Gavin chuckles.

“Whatever,” Chen sighs, “but I really can’t help you with this right now.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Officer Chen says her goodbyes before driving off back to the station with their perp, Gavin watches her go. When he turns back he finds Nines missing from his side. The detective spins around, scanning the scene.

“How the fuck does he disappear so fast?”

Gavin squints toward one of the tables laying out the items they’d retrieved from the bag the perp had been carrying when he started his run. He can see rope, duct tape, a few masks, a gun, and a few other objects. _There he is._

The detective starts making his way over to his partner and calls, “Nines!”

The android looks up from the objects he’s analyzing, “yes, detective?”

“Are you aware that you look like you were in a blueberry fight and lost?”

“Very funny, detective.”

“Or that it looks like you forgot how to eat a ring pop and just smeared it all over your face?

“You certainly find my split lip funny, Gavin.”

“Maybe that you dropped just a fuck-ton and a half of like blueberry-blue-raspberry-cotton-candy-or-some-weird-flavor icecream on you?”

Gavin watches the android stop what he’s doing, his LED circling yellow instead of cool blue, “Gavin, is there a point to this?”

“You don’t have to get pissy.”

“I’m not _pissy_ as you say, I just don’t see the point of antagonizing me.”

“Shit, Nines, it’s not like it’s my fault you look like you go face-fucked by a smurf!”

The detective watches his partners blood slicked mouth open and close again as he turns.

“I mean, not that it doesn’t look good on you,” Gavin’s brain fills with thoughts there’s no fucking way he’d say out loud, he hears something rip, “I’m sure the ladies, or lads, ~~or me~~ would find real fuckin’ attractive--”

Gavin feels Nines’ arms pull him flush against his partner’s body and a hand reach up and smack itself over his mouth. He prays to whatever’s out there that Nines doesn’t notice the blush dusting his cheeks or the way his breath sped up. 

“Now, Gavin, you are being quite annoying right now so I would appreciate if you would shut your goddamn mouth or face the consequences,” Nines says in a low voice, “if I let you go will you do that for me?”

_Phck_

In this moment Gavin is beyond glad his mouth is covered or he might’ve been embarrassed. He nods slowly, the hand still firmly planted over his mouth lightens its touch and he whirls around ready to scream himself hoarse. Before he can get any words out though Nines other hand comes swinging toward his face. He tries to dodge but Nines is too fast and he braces as a sheet of duct tape is planted across his mouth. 

“What the fuck, Plastic!” He shouts but everyone else hears ‘wuhhthphckpasc!’

Gavin glares with everything he has while Nines tortuous blue blood stained smile widens to a grin, “uh, oh, is someone facing the consequences of their actions?”

The detective turns his attention to the problem of removing the tape from his mouth and momentarily forgets his partner who turns and starts walking back to his car. He shakes himself out, bounces up and down a few times. _You got this, Gavin. It can’t be that bad, right?_

He yanks the tape.

_FUCK_

“Fuck you, Tincan!”

“Maybe next time, Detective. You know, I didn’t peg you for a man with a blood kink, but i’ll save the information if you like.”

Gavin can feel the android’s satisfaction, “phck!”

 

**Wednesday, May 11th, 2039**

 

RK900 starts to get annoyed when Gavin doesn’t come back from his break after 20 minutes, the android has been able to train Gavin out of excessive breaks by now. He doesn’t think much of it though, Gavin is known to disappear for an hour or so every once in a while. He just gets back to work on their cases.

RK900 starts getting angry when Gavin doesn’t come back from his break after an hour and a half. Gavin is never gone this long unless he’s avoiding the android. Nines decides that if his partner isn’t back in a half hour, he’s going to go find him. And possibly beat his ass. Nines likes the peace and quiet but even with the incessant noise constantly coming from Gavin, he’s gotten… _Attached._ He may even say that he _likes_ him. 

Not that he’d say it to his partner’s face.

RK900’s LED turns red when Gavin doesn’t come back from his break after 2 hours. He has tapped into the building’s outside cameras in moments and sees the detective hasn’t left the building. He can’t believe Gavin is still so childish, hiding the precinct being lazy, avoiding him after months of them getting along better. The android checks all the storage closets in the building, he asks Chen and Ben and Connor if they’ve seen his partner, he even tries the roof. It’s only when he finally looks through the two-way glass in the farthest, most off-the-beaten-path interrogation room they have, which hasn’t been used in months if not years that he finds who he was looking for. And he’s curled up in a ball shaking and crying in the dark, even Nines advanced eyes have trouble seeing with the barely-there light shining in through the crack in the door.

 _Oh._

RK900 is suddenly more worried for the detective than he’s ever been in the few months he’s known him. The android knows he should do his best not to startle the detective so when he slips through the door he softly announces himself.

“Gavin, it’s me Nines. Are you alright?” Nines asks even though he already knows the answer.

He isn’t met with any response except for the sound of Gavin’s way-too-fast-and-shallow-as-a-kiddy-pool breaths. His LED which had shifted from blue to yellow in the viewing room had changed now to an alarmed red. 

Nines lowers himself to a crouch in front of his partner and goes to take a hold of Gavin’s shoulders but pulls back when the man’s expression changes to panic and he flinches away. The RK900 reassesses his options on slowly brings his hands into Gavin’s field of view.

“Gavin, you’re safe okay. I’m going to help you, you just need to let me. I’m going to hold your shoulders, okay?”

NInes waits for Gavin’s response with fake patience but his thirium pump feels like it’s being twisted around like a pretzel. He hears Gavin whimper but sees a barely-there nod so he places his hands delicately on his partner.

“Gavin, can you tell me five things you can see in here? I know it’s dark.”

The human looks hesitant but answers the best he can, “table, door, floor, you, chairs.”

“Now four things you can feel.”

“Carpet, con-concrete wall…. The air conditioning. Your hands.”

Nines keeps on his exercise with Gavin and can see it working, his partner’s breath has slowed and his muscles are less tense under his hands. Gavin seems more grounded and Nines just wants him to be safe. When they’ve finished he helps Gavin to his feet and sits the human down in one of the chairs while he turns on the light. Then he pulls the other chair over closer to Gavin and sits.

“Can you tell me why you had a panic attack, Gavin?”

His partner brings a hand up to his tear-tracked cheek, leans against it and mumbles, “you’d laugh at me. That’s what anyone would do.”

The RK900’s LED had gone back to blue but it flashes red for a moment, “do you really think I would make fun of you?”

“It’s fucking stupid.”

“It’s not.”

Nines knows he’s won Gavin over when the man sighs and leans back in his chair, “I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

“About?”

“About the stupid picture thing. About the fact that I run from things I don’t want to deal with. About the fact that you’re right.”

“I am?” 

Nines looks up at Gavin, he looks exhausted.

“Yes, you’re right. That I’m terrified of losing people and that even though I say I do, I don’t want to forget anything, anyone. I just--”

“Who are you starting to forget?”

Gavin looks like he might start crying again at that but answers, “I can’t remember my old partners face. I can’t remember him,” he looks a Nines with tears in his eyes, “how could I do that to him? He died and I can’t even work up the strength to remember what he looked like.”

Nines leans closer, “I can pull up a photo. Do you want that, Detective?”

“Please.”

And he does. The android pulls up a photo of Gavin’s old partner, a nice looking guy, he had a kind smile. Nines sits with Gavin while he gets everything out of his system and after a while Gavin asks him to find him a printed out version for his apartment. He promises he will and adds a mental note to also print out the Easter photo. Soon the RK900’s partner calms down enough that Nines believes he can make it through the rest of the day and they get up to head back to their desks.

“You won’t tell anyone, right Nines?”

“My lips are sealed--”

Gavin pulls him into a hug and it’s so nice. Too soon for Nines’ liking they separate and they make their way back to their desks.

“Nines, I want to remember you.”

 

**Tuesday, May 31st, 2039**

 

Gavin is the last person in the precinct when he finally finishes his paperwork, its nearly midnight and he wants to take a shower when he gets home so he gathers his things quickly and heads out the precinct doors and across the grass surrounding the right side of the building. It’s pitch black out so when Gavin turns the corner toward the parking garage he doesn’t see the body spread out in front of him in the grass.

The detective hits the ground hard, “Aw, phck!”

“Detective Reed?”

“...Nines?”

“What are you doing here so late? I thought you were leaving with Ms.Chen.”

“Well, I was going to but I got caught up on some paperwork. And what did I say about my name, I told you to call me Gavin. What the fuck are you doing here laying where I can trip over you?”

“I apologize Gavin, about your name and the tripping. I was just admiring the stars. They’re beautiful tonight.”

Gavin scooches over some so he’s parallel with Nines and stares up at the sky, “I guess they are. I never took you for the type to stargaze.”

“You learn something new every day.”

“You sound like the fuckin’ pretentious teacher I had in high school.”

“Yeah, well. It is true, Gavin.”

They lay like that for what feels like an eternity to Gavin, just staring up into the stars. The detective hasn’t really looked at the stars for years, since he was a kid trying to find his place in the world. He hasn’t stargazed since he and Kamski were on speaking terms. Nines finally breaks the silence.

“What do you do when you like someone and you want to know if they like you back?”

Gavin is a bit taken aback and is silent for a moment, “I guess you just have to tell them, otherwise you’ll never know.”

“Yeah.” 

It goes silent again.

“Gavin, I like you a lot.”

“Like… _Like like?_ ”

Nines chuckles at that, “yes. I find you interesting, and though you are an incredibly difficult person to find good qualities in, I think I’ve done it.”

“And I’m a fuckin’ showstopper.”

Gavin knows the android is glaring at him even though he can barely see him. 

Nines head turns and when his gaze rakes along Gavin’s body, the detective shivers. Gavin rolls himself closer to Nines, on his stomach now, their faces just a few inches apart.

“Hey, Nines.”

“Yeah?”

“I like you a lot too.”

Gavin leans forward and connects their lips together, its quick and soft but it gets the point across and it’s so, so nice. The human licks his lips and only has time for a single breath before Nines lips are back on his and he’s being rolled over onto his back. Gavin feels butterflies in his stomach and he deepens the kiss in response, _fuck he finally gets to show Nines how he feels_. They break apart again and they both smile, Gavin shakes his head and laughs.

“I’ve wanted to do that for far too long, Gavin.”

“Fuck. Come here,” Gavin says as he dives back in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how much I wanted to use "He’s been got. His wigs been snatched. His senses duped. He’s a dumb bitch. They got him. Gotdang." when Connor and Nines pranked Gavin. 
> 
> And I guess I'm a tease ;D


End file.
